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Transcript

Presenter: You’re not imagining it. There are even more people on phones wandering around in their own world than normal. Something’s just arrived which gives them a whole new world to wander in.

Brace yourselves for Pokémon Go. It’s a computer game but you play it in the real world. An app on your phone turns your actual surroundings into a sort of cartoon version of them and you then have to wander around and search for Pokémon, little cartoon creatures. I’m off!

And those Pokémon now have an awful lot of people after them. The game’s already broken records in the US for a mobile game (Can you see him?) with its mixture of real and virtual worlds.

Guys, guys, guys, excuse me! Are you playing Pokémon?

Even on day one, catching fans didn’t take long.

Why do people like it so much?

Fan 1: In a way, it’s bringing a few people together. Like down there, we saw two people. They were catching a Pokémon and another group of people came and said, ‘Are you catching this Pokémon? We want to catch it too.’

Presenter: So it’s like a sociable computer game?

Fan 1: And it’s, yeah, it’s social, a social thing yeah, I guess.

Presenter: How old are you guys?

Fan 2: Ah … 24!

Fan 3: I’m 24!

Presenter: You say that like you’re a bit embarrassed.

Fan 3: Yeah, I think there is no limit, to be honest. I think there are also gamers who are, maybe, 16, but also 30-year-olds.

Presenter: Pokémon – that’s short for pocket monsters, by the way – started as a Game Boy game twenty years ago. You might have seen the cartoon. That then spawned a craze for toys and trading cards by 2000. And now, they’re back. And this expert reckons that history is the game’s secret weapon.

Ryan Broderick (Buzzfeed): People my age and younger have always had Pokémon in their lives, which means we’ve always wanted to actually feel like we’re in the game, and this is pretty darn close.

Presenter: Have you been hit by traffic yet?

Ryan Broderick (Buzzfeed):I have come very close to being hit by a bus, but in my defence, the Pokémon was very high level and it would have been really great to catch.

Presenter: Totally understandable. Worth a head injury.

Ryan Broderick (Buzzfeed):Right!

Presenter: There have been some minor Pokémon-based injuries reported, but children’s safety campaigners are worried the game could cause much more serious problems.

Emily Cherry (*NSPCC): This app has been released without having the right child safety features associated with it. So, one of the things we’re most concerned about is the potential for adults to lure children to particular spots where they want to seek and access Pokémon.

Presenter: Police in London have today issued official safety advice for players. The general gist of it: don’t end up in a road or in a river because you’re trying to catch them all. Dominic Reynolds, 5 News.

*The NSPCC is the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. You can find their advice for parents here: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/pokemon-go-parents-guide/

Discussion

Comments

Actually I have never been addicted to the game but I have played it a few times. One year ago, when it was really popular. I didnt have a phone then because it has broken. The game is pretty dangerous if u dont know where youre gooing and dosent pay attetion to the real world. You have to look up sometimes so you dont run in to a car or something.

Well, I am a great fan of Pokemon, but I was never much addicted to the games. I don't know about the games, but most of the kids and teens of the world are big fans of Pokemon (like me) and that gained a lot of popularity to the game. I've tried playing it, and it is good at the beginning but tires you out in the end.
But come what may, I have and will still love Pokemon and Pikachu. It has been my childhood, and I won't give it up for a dumb game. So, cheers to Pokemon fans and haters! :))))

I do not and I never will not play because it is a waste of time. instead of sitting at home or in the library and read a book or play sports, I'm going to do crazy and dangerous things like this, but on the other hand, it has become a leader in the global gaming industry, and that means that this game is worth something. I think that in the future the company Nintendo will create more good games

Honestly my childhood basicly was Pokemon, power rangers and other tv programs, and I really want to have the game in my phone, but actually I don't have memory :'v, so when I buy one I am shure that I'm gonna download it :)

I am really into the game Pokemon Go but it is a waste of time. I have tried to catch them all but it will be faster if you travel by car or by bus. When you are catching them on foot you will not catch a lot. The pokemon on which I am keen on is Pikachu.

I tryed to play pokemon! But i dont like it!
well pokemon go was a nice game that u can play!But the pokemon go is one of the most dangerous games!Becouse of kidnapping and car accidents!
I dont like pokemon go and i never try to play it AGAIN !!